Knowing how serious heatstroke is, the Washington State Department of Labour and Industries have required employers to provide shade from the sun and breaks for outdoor workers under new emergency rules.
This, as the recent record-breaking heat wave literally ensnared the necks of 78 people in Washington state alone, with hundreds more deceased in Oregon and Canada.
The new emergency rules kicked in on Tuesday (July 13).
If the temperature reaches 100 degrees, employers have to provide shade from the sun, in addition to ensuring workers have a paid cool-down period, during which they get to rest for at least 10 minutes every couple hours. Employers also have to provide workers with cool drinking water.
Some farmers supported the department's move, but said the rules were good enough.
"If you talk to workers out in the field, anything over 80 becomes really uncomfortable, especially if you're working under a piece rate system, where you're paid by your production — you're going as fast as you can." Said Edgar Franks, an organizer with Familias Unidas Por La Justicia, a farmworker union in Skagit County in Washington.
Weather forecasts say parts of Central Washington, like Yakima, where workers are currently wrapping up their cherry harvest, will hit 102 this week.
Suffice it to say, the rules can ensure outdoor workers' safety, as it can largely protect workers from heatstroke and other conditions as a result of scorching hot temperatures.
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